Seat carrier for long guns

ABSTRACT

A long gun carrier rests on a vehicle seat, and is secured to the seat by a seat belt. A slated top of the long gun carrier slopes generally downward and forward. One or more gun-holding channels formed in slanted top, each configured to hold a long gun pointed generally forward and downward, toward the vehicle floor. The long guns may be secured in the gun-holding channels by strap assemblies. Long guns are conveniently placed into and extracted from the long gun carrier, held securely during transportation, and pointed in a safe direction during transport.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/399,182, filed 30 Apr. 2019, which claims the benefit U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/666,954, filed 4 May 2018, thedisclosures of both of which are incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to vehicle gun racks, and inparticular to a long gun carrier having bottom and back surfaces andadapted to be secured to a vehicle seat by a seat belt.

BACKGROUND

Long guns are a subset of the small arms category of firearms. Long gunsare generally characterized by long barrels, a forearm or front grip,and a shoulder stock. They are designed and intended to be fired fromthe shoulder, using two hands. Examples of long guns include rifles,carbines, and shotguns. Actions may include semiautomatic, lever-action,bolt action, pump, and single-shot (either breech- or muzzle-loading).Long guns are distinguished from other small arms, such as handguns andpersonal defense weapons comprising medium length barrels andpistol-type grips not designed to be fired from the shoulder.

While handguns may be safely and securely transported while worn in aholster or placed in a glove compartment or console of a vehicle, thesafe transportation of long guns is more problematic. Long guns arebulky in the confined space of a vehicle interior or on a small vehiclesuch as an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) or Utility Vehicle (UTV). Toprotect the long gun from damage, and to prevent misalignment of opticsor other sights, the long gun should be secured in a case or rack,rather than being free to slide around in the floor, trunk, or cargo bedof a vehicle. Repeatedly moving a long gun to and from a case, such aswhen traveling field-to-field while hunting, is inconvenient andtime-consuming.

A variety of gun racks and holders are known in the art. However, manyof them are not readily accessible, and are as inconvenient to use as acase. While not the best practice from a safety perspective, the fact isthat many hunters travel at least short distances with long guns stillloaded, and many prior art gun racks store the long guns with theirbarrels pointed in potentially unsafe directions. Additionally, manyprior art gun racks are effectively little more than hooks, which maynot hold a long gun securely as the vehicle travels over rough terrain,or in the event of an accident. Some prior art gun racks requirequasi-permanent installation in a vehicle, and cannot readily be movedbetween vehicles in the field. Some prior art gun racks, such as theiconic pickup truck rear window rack, prominently expose long guns toexterior view, inviting theft.

A need exists in the art for a long gun holder that is convenient andreadily accessible, that securely holds one or more long guns pointed ina safe direction, and that protects the long gun and its sights intransit. Furthermore, a need exists for such a long gun holder that issimple to install and remove, and that is relatively inconspicuous inuse.

The Background section of this document is provided to place embodimentsof the present invention in technological and operational context, toassist those of skill in the art in understanding their scope andutility. Approaches described in the Background section could bepursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previouslyconceived or pursued. Unless explicitly identified as such, no statementherein is admitted to be prior art merely by its inclusion in theBackground section.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in orderto provide a basic understanding to those of skill in the art. Thissummary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure and is notintended to identify key/critical elements of embodiments of theinvention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The sole purposeof this summary is to present some concepts disclosed herein in asimplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that ispresented later.

According to one or more embodiments described and/or claimed herein, along gun carrier rests on a vehicle seat, and is secured to the seat bya seat belt. An upper, sloping surface of the long gun carrier slopesgenerally downward and forward. One or more gun-holding channels formedin this sloping surface each hold a long gun pointed generally forwardand downward, toward the vehicle floor. The long guns may be secured inthe gun-holding channels by straps. Long guns are conveniently placedinto and extracted from the long gun carrier, held securely duringtransportation, pointed in a safe direction, and not readily visiblefrom the exterior.

One embodiment relates to a long gun carrier for a vehicle seat thatincludes a seat portion and a back portion. The long gun carrierincludes a body. The body has a longitudinal axis, and includes agenerally flat, horizontal bottom surface adapted to rest on part of theseat portion of the vehicle seat. The body has a generally flat,vertical back surface adapted to contact part of the back portion of thevehicle seat. The long gun carrier body includes one or more gun-holdingchannels, each parallel with the longitudinal axis and adapted toremovably contain a long gun. The body additionally includes a throughchannel transverse to the longitudinal axis and below the one or moregun-holding channels. The through channel is adapted to accept a seatbelt operative to secure the carrier to the vehicle seat.

In some aspects, the present disclosure relates to a long gun carrierfor a vehicle seat that includes a seat portion and a back portion. Thelong gun carrier comprises a bottom adapted to rest on part of the seatportion of the vehicle seat; a back adapted to contact part of the backportion of the vehicle seat; and a longitudinal axis extendingtransverse to the bottom and the back. The long gun carrier furthercomprises a slanted top extending parallel to the longitudinal axis,with the top having first and second gun-holding channels. Eachgun-holding channel is disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis andadapted to removably contain a long gun. At least the first gun-holdingchannel comprises a forward portion adapted to cradle an action of thelong gun and an aft section adapted to cradle a stock of the long gun. Agap is disposed longitudinally between the forward section and the aftsection, and the gap is adapted to expose a portion of the long gunbetween the action and the stock. The carrier further includes a firstthrough-channel transverse to the longitudinal axis and disposed belowthe first and second gun-holding channels. The first through-channel isadapted to accept a seat belt operative to secure the carrier to thevehicle seat such that the bottom is secured against the seat portion ofthe vehicle seat and the back is secured against the back portion of thevehicle seat. The carrier also includes a second through-channeldisposed transverse to the longitudinal axis and below the first andsecond gun-holding channels and aligned with the gap. The secondthrough-channel has a spur passage disposed between the first and secondgun-holding channels and opening to the gap. The carrier also includes amagazine recess that is open to the first gun-holding channel, extendsdownwardly, and is laterally closed. The magazine recess is disposedbelow the first gun-holding channel and closer to a front of the carrierthan both the first and second through channels. In use, a seat beltinserted through the first through-channel secures the long gun carriersuch that the bottom is secured against the seat portion of the vehicleseat and the back is secured against the back portion of the vehicleseat. The carrier also includes a strap assembly comprising a strap andan associated fastener. The strap assembly is selectively closable intoa loop via the fastener to secure the long gun within the firstgun-holding channel with the strap assembly extending through the secondthrough passage, including the spur passage, and across the firstgun-holding channel at the gap.

Another embodiment relates to a method of transporting long guns in avehicle having a seat that includes a seat portion and a back portion. Along gun carrier is provided. The long gun carrier comprises a bodyincluding a longitudinal axis, a generally flat, horizontal bottomsurface, a generally flat, vertical back surface, one or moregun-holding channels parallel with the longitudinal axis, and athrough-channel transverse to the longitudinal axis and below the one ormore gun-holding channels. The long gun carrier is placed in the seat ofa vehicle such that the bottom surface rests on part of the seat portionof the vehicle seat and the back surface contacts part of the backportion of the vehicle seat. A seat belt of the vehicle is placedthrough the through channel and tightened so as to hold the long guncarrier securely against the vehicle seat. A long gun is placed in agun-holding channel of the long gun carrier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of theinvention are shown. However, this invention should not be construed aslimited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodimentsare provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in theart. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front and side of a long guncarrier.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the back and side of the long guncarrier.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the long gun carrier installed on a vehicleseat.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the long gun carrier.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the long gun carrier in longitudinalsection taken down the center.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the long gun carrierin longitudinal section taken in the center of one gun-holding channel.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the long guncarrier in longitudinal section taken in the center of one gun-holdingchannel.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the long gun carrier in transversesection.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method of transporting long guns.

FIG. 10 is perspective view depicting one end of the long gun carrierbeing used as a shooting rest.

FIG. 11 is perspective view depicting the other end of the long guncarrier being used as a shooting rest.

FIG. 12 is a cross section view from the front of a seat carrieraccording to a second embodiment configured to mount an accessory holderat an angle.

FIG. 13 is a cross section view from the front of a seat carrieraccording to the second embodiment with a gun in the accessory holder.

FIG. 14 is a cross section view from the front of a seat carrieraccording to the second embodiment with a gun in the accessory holder.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view from the rear of a seat carrier accordingto the second embodiment with the accessory holder mounted at an angle.

FIG. 16 is a cross section view from the front of a seat carrieraccording to the second embodiment with a handgun in the accessoryholder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the present invention isdescribed by referring mainly to an exemplary embodiment thereof. In thefollowing description, numerous specific details are set forth in orderto provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However,it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that thepresent invention may be practiced without limitation to these specificdetails. In this description, well known methods and structures have notbeen described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure the presentinvention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a long gun carrier 10 for avehicle, and FIG. 3 is a side view showing the carrier 10 mounted on avehicle seat 50 (and holding a long gun 58). The long gun carrier 10 isadapted to be secured on the vehicle seat 50 (or console between seats)by a seat belt 56 of the vehicle, in a manner similar to securing aninfant or child safety seat in the vehicle.

The long gun carrier 10 comprises a body 12, having a longitudinal axis11, shown in FIG. 1 as lying along a sloping surface 18. The body 12 hasa generally flat, horizontal bottom surface 14 adapted to contact partof the seat portion 52 of the vehicle seat 50, and a generally flat,vertical back surface 16 adapted to contact part of the back portion 54of the vehicle seat 50. A sloping surface 18 extends from the upper backsurface 16 generally toward the front of the bottom surface 14. In theembodiment depicted in the Figures, the sloping surface 18 slopes fromthe upper back surface 16 toward a point forward of the front of thebottom surface 16, and a generally flat, vertical front surface 20extends between the front of the bottom surface 14 and a forward extentof the sloping surface 18.

One or more gun-holding channels 22 are formed in the sloping surface18, parallel to the longitudinal axis 11. The Figures depict two suchgun-holding channels 22, straddling the longitudinal axis 11. Theformation of gun-holding channels 22 in the sloped surface 18, in someembodiments, forms the sloping surface 18 into a series of longitudinalridges between and outward of the gun-holding channels 22. As depictedin FIG. 3 , each gun-holding channel 22 is operative to removablycontain a long gun 58, with a muzzle 60 of the long gun 58 pointedgenerally toward a floor of the vehicle forward of the vehicle seatportion 52. The dimensions and angles of the body 12 of the long guncarrier 10—in particular, the length of the bottom surface 14, the slopeof the sloping surface 18, and the height of the front surface 20—aresuch that the gun-holding channels 22 are operative to hold a long gun58 such that no part of the long gun, such as, e.g., the muzzle 60,contacts the seat portion 52 of the vehicle seat 50, when the long guncarrier 10 is secured to the vehicle seat 50 by the seat belt 56. Insome embodiments, a deformable material, such as closed-cell foam, linespart or all of a gun-holding channel 22.

In one embodiment, a cut-out 24 in the sloping surface 18 is positionedaft of the action of a long gun 58 and generally coincides with thelocation of a pistol grip. The cut-out 24 facilitates removal of thelong gun 58 from the gun-holding channel 22, by providing access to aportion of the long gun 58 normally grasped when carrying the long gun58. The cut-out 24 additionally facilitates access, in some embodiments,to a strap 26 and fastener 28.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a securing strap 26 with a side-release buckle 28is provided for each gun-holding channel to secure the long gun in thegun-holding channel 22. The side-release buckle 28 includes male andfemale connectors attached to opposite ends of the strap 26 and providesmeans to adjust the operative length of the strap 26 to accommodate gunsof different size. In one embodiment, the strap 26 is formed of amaterial having elasticity in at least its longitudinal dimension. Inthis embodiment, the strap 26 may be adjusted to exert a positivedownward force on the long gun 58, further securing it in thegun-holding channel 22.

In the exemplary embodiments, the body of the long gun carrier 10 isprovided with a through-channel 32 and associated spur passage or strapaccess well 34 to enable the securing straps 26 to wrap around thegun-holding channels 22. The through-channel 32 extends through the bodyof the long gun carrier 10 beneath the gun-carrying channels 22 in adirection transverse to the longitudinal axis 11. The spur passage oraccess well 34 extends perpendicular to the main through-channel 32between the gun-holding channels 22 and intersects the channel 32. Thesecuring strap 26 for each gun-holding channel 22 extends through thechannel 32 with one end of the strap 26 exiting via the strap accesswell 34 and the other end exiting the channel opening on one side of thebody.

As shown in the exploded view in FIG. 4 , the strap 26 may be attachedto a mounting block 30, which is removably secured in the channel 32.The strap 26 is secured to the mounting block 30 by screws or othersuitable fasteners and the mounting block is inserted into the channel32. The mounting block 30 is sized to frictionally fit in the channel32. The removable mounting block 30 facilitates replacing straps 26 asthey age, tear, or lose elasticity due to wear by removing the mountingblock 30 from the chamber, detaching the worn straps 26, and attaching anew strap 26. Securing the strap 26 and fastener 28 to a mounting block30 also adds modularity to the long gun carrier 10, for example allowingdifferent gun-holding channels 22 to be configured with different lengthstraps 26, to accommodate differently sized or shaped long guns 58.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of one embodiment, taken downthe center of one gun-holding channel 22, showing the chamber 32extending beneath the gun-holding channel 22, below the cut-out 24. FIG.7 is a longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment, also takendown the center of one gun-holding channel 22. In this embodiment, amagazine well 36 is formed in the body 12 below the gun-holding channel22. The magazine well 36 is operative to accept a variety of sizes andshapes of fixed, protruding magazines, or a detachable magazine when itis attached to a long gun 58.

To secure the long gun carrier 10 to a vehicle seat 40, athrough-channel 38 extends all the way through the body 12, in adirection traverse to the longitudinal axis 11, below the gun-holdingchannels 22. In one embodiment, the through-channel 38 is angledsimilarly to the sloping surface 18. The through-channel 38 is operativeto accept a seat belt 56 of the vehicle, to secure the body 12 of thelong gun carrier 10 to a vehicle seat 50. In particular, and as depictedin FIG. 3 , the seat belt 56, when inserted through the through-channel38, is operative to secure the long gun carrier 10 such that the bottomsurface 14 is secured against the seat portion 52 of the vehicle seat 50and the back surface 16 is secured against the back portion 54 of thevehicle seat 50. In one embodiment, as depicted in the exploded view ofFIG. 4 , a detachable load distributor 40 is removably inserted into thethrough-channel 38. The load distributor 40, which may be made of metal,is positioned between the seat belt and the body 12, and is operative todistribute forces from the seat belt 56 evenly across thethrough-channel 38.

FIG. 8 is a transverse section view of the long gun carrier 10,particularly showing the formation of gun-holding channels 22 in thesloping surface 18. This view also depicts the through-channel 38, whichis large enough to accept a wide variety of seat belts. As depicted inFIGS. 6 and 8 , the body 12, beneath the through-channel 38, may havevoids formed therein to reduce weight. Hence, the bottom surface 14,while generally flat and horizontal, is not necessarily continuous.

FIG. 9 depicts steps in a method 100 of safely and securely transportinglong guns 58 in a vehicle having a seat 50 that includes a seat portion52 and a back portion 54. A long gun carrier 10 is provided (block 102).The long gun carrier 10 comprises a body including a longitudinal axis11, a generally flat, horizontal bottom surface 14, a generally flat,vertical back surface 16, one or more gun-holding channels 22 parallelwith the longitudinal axis 11, and a through-channel 38 transverse tothe longitudinal axis 11 and below the one or more gun-holding channels22. The long gun carrier 10 is placed on the seat 50 of a vehicle suchthat the bottom surface 14 rests on part of the seat portion 52 of thevehicle seat 50 and the back surface 16 contacts part of the backportion 54 of the vehicle seat 50 (block 104). A seat belt 56 of thevehicle is placed through the through-channel 38 and tightened so as tohold the long gun carrier 10 securely against the vehicle seat 50 (block106). A long gun 58 is then placed in a gun-holding channel 22 of thelong gun carrier 10 (block 108).

FIG. 10 shows an accessory holder 42 affixed to a generally flatmounting surface 15 formed on the body 12 of the long gun carrier 10. Ahandgun portion 44 of the accessory holder 42 is sized and shaped tohold a variety of handguns. A magazine portion 46 of the accessoryholder 42 is sized and shaped to hold a variety of magazines. Ingeneral, a variety of accessory holders 42 may be devised to carryvarious shooting and hunting accessories, which may be attached to, orformed in, the long gun carrier 10. In one embodiment, the holder 42 ismade of rubber or other resilient material and is sized to hold handguns within a range of sizes. The holder 42 in this embodiment expandswhen, for example, a handgun is inserted into the holder 42 so that theholder 42 can accommodate handguns of different size and shape.

FIG. 10 also depicts another use of the long gun carrier 10—as ashooting rest for holding a long gun 58 while shooting. In oneembodiment, the end of at least one gun-holding channel 22, adjacent theback surface 16, includes a forearm channel formed generallyhorizontally at the top. The forearm channel is sized and shaped to holdthe forearm of a long gun 58. The long gun carrier 10 may be removedfrom a vehicle, and set up at a gun range, or in the field, to providestability in shooting the long gun 58, such as for sighting in optics orother sights.

FIG. 11 depicts another use of the long gun carrier 10 as a shootingrest. A barrel channel 48 is formed on or attached to the front surface20. The barrel channel 48 is sized and shaped to hold the barrel of along gun 58 while shooting.

FIGS. 12-16 illustrate an alternate embodiment of the long gun carrier10 configured to mount the holder 42 at a slight angle. In thisembodiment, the mounting surface 15 is angled slightly and the holder 42extends above the top edge of the mounting surface 15 so that a fingerspace for the user's hand and/or fingers is created between the holder42 and the body 12 of the long gun carrier. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the finger space accommodates the user's fingers or thumb when theuser is inserting or removing the gun from the gun holder 42 so that theuser is able to more comfortably and firmly grip the hand gun as it isbeing inserted into or removed from the holder 42.

Embodiments of the present invention present numerous advantages overprior art gun racks and holders. The long gun carrier 10 is readilyaccessible on the seat of a vehicle, and is convenient to access anduse. Long guns 58 placed in gun-holding channels 22 travel with themuzzles pointed in a safe direction, towards the floor of the vehicle(and the ground beyond that). The gun-holding channels 22 hold a longgun 58 along a significant portion of its length. Even without strappinga long gun 58 into a gun-holding channel 22, the gun 58 rides securelyand is unlikely to become dislodged as the vehicle travels over roughterrain, or in the event of an accident. The long gun carrier 10requires no modification to the vehicle; its installation and removal isa simple as threading and tightening a seat belt. When installed on avehicle seat, the long gun carrier 10 carries long guns 58 fairly low,i.e., below the windows in most vehicles. Hence, the long guns 58 arenot exposed to exterior view, and do not invite theft. Indeed, the longgun carrier 10 and long guns 58 are easily concealed by placing, e.g., ajacket over them.

The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other ways thanthose specifically set forth herein without departing from essentialcharacteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are to beconsidered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and allchanges coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appendedclaims are intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A long gun carrier for a vehicle seat thatincludes a seat portion and a back portion, comprising: a bottom adaptedto rest on part of the seat portion of the vehicle seat; a back adaptedto contact part of the back portion of the vehicle seat; a slanted topangled relative to both the bottom and the back and extending parallelto a longitudinal axis; the top having first and second gun-holdingchannels, each gun-holding channel disposed parallel to the longitudinalaxis and adapted to removably contain a long gun; wherein the firstgun-holding channel comprises a forward portion adapted to cradle anaction of the long gun and an aft section adapted to cradle a stock ofthe long gun, wherein a gap is disposed longitudinally between theforward section and the aft section, wherein the gap is adapted toexpose a portion of the long gun between the action and the stock;wherein the gap extends transverse to the longitudinal axis across boththe first and second gun-holding channels; a first through-channeltransverse to the longitudinal axis and disposed below the first andsecond gun-holding channels, the first through-channel adapted to accepta seat belt operative to secure the carrier to the vehicle seat suchthat the bottom is secured against the seat portion of the vehicle seatand the back is secured against the back portion of the vehicle seat; asecond through-channel disposed transverse to the longitudinal axis andbelow the first and second gun-holding channels and aligned with thegap; a spur passage disposed between the first and second gun-holdingchannels and opening to the gap; a magazine recess that is open to thefirst gun-holding channel, extends downwardly, and is laterally closed;the magazine recess disposed below the first gun-holding channel andcloser to a front of the carrier than both the first and secondthrough-channels; a strap assembly comprising a strap and an associatedfastener; the strap assembly selectively closable into a loop via thefastener to secure the long gun within the first gun-holding channelwith the strap assembly looping through the second through-passage,through the spur passage, and across the first gun-holding channel atthe gap.
 2. The long gun carrier of claim 1, wherein the strap assemblyfurther comprises a mounting block.
 3. The long gun carrier of claim 1,further comprising a load distributor positioned within the firstthrough-channel and operative to evenly distribute force from the seatbelt.
 4. The long gun carrier of claim 1, further comprising anaccessory holder mounted to a side of the carrier.
 5. The long guncarrier of claim 4, wherein the accessory holder angles upwardly awayfrom the longitudinal axis.
 6. The long gun carrier of claim 4, whereinthe accessory holder is sized and shaped to removably contain a handgun.7. The long gun carrier of claim 1, wherein the magazine recess isopen-bottomed.
 8. The long gun carrier of claim 1, wherein the strapand/or the fastener is adjustable.
 9. The long gun carrier of claim 1,wherein the strap is formed of a material having elasticity in at leastits longitudinal dimension.
 10. A long gun carrier for a vehicle seatthat includes a seat portion and a back portion, comprising: a bottomadapted to rest on part of the seat portion of the seat; a back adaptedto contact part of the back portion of the seat; a slanted top angledrelative to both the bottom and the back and extending parallel to alongitudinal axis; the top having first and second gun-holding channels,each gun-holding channel disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis andadapted to removably contain a long gun; wherein the first gun-holdingchannel comprises a forward portion adapted to cradle an action of thelong gun and an aft section adapted to cradle a stock of the long gun,wherein a gap is disposed longitudinally between the forward section andthe aft section, wherein the gap is adapted to expose a portion of thelong gun between the action and the stock; a first through-channeltransverse to the longitudinal axis and disposed below the first andsecond gun-holding channels, the first through-channel adapted to accepta seat belt to secure the carrier to the vehicle seat such that thebottom is secured against the seat portion of the vehicle seat and theback is secured against the back portion of the vehicle seat; a secondthrough-channel disposed transverse to the longitudinal axis and belowthe first and second gun-holding channels and aligned with the gap; aspur passage disposed between the first and second gun-holding channelsand opening to the gap and extending downward to the secondthrough-channel; a first strap assembly associated with the firstgun-holding channel and comprising a first strap and an associated firstfastener; the first strap assembly selectively closable into a firstloop via the first fastener to secure the long gun within the firstgun-holding channel with the first strap assembly looping through thesecond through-passage, through the spur passage, and across the firstgun-holding channel at the gap; and a second strap assembly associatedwith the second gun-holding channel and comprising a second strap and anassociated second fastener; the second strap assembly selectivelyclosable into a loop via the second fastener to secure the long gunwithin the second gun-holding channel with the second strap assemblylooping through the second through-passage, through the spur passage,and across the second gun-holding channel at the gap.
 11. The long guncarrier of claim 10, wherein the longitudinal axis is disposed betweenthe first and second gun-holding channels, and wherein the first andsecond straps, when looped, do not overlap the longitudinal axis. 12.The long gun carrier of claim 10, wherein the first and secondgun-holding channels are disposed on opposing sides of the longitudinalaxis and are spaced apart sufficiently that no portions of long gunsremovably contained therein touch each other.
 13. The long gun carrierof claim 10, wherein the first strap is secured to a mounting block. 14.The long gun carrier of claim 10, further comprising an accessory holdermounted to a side of the carrier.
 15. A method of transporting long gunsin a vehicle having a seat belt and a seat that includes a seat portionand a back portion, the method comprising: providing a long gun carriercomprising: a bottom adapted to rest on part of the seat portion of theseat; a back adapted to contact part of the back portion of the seat; aslanted top angled relative to both the bottom and the back andextending parallel to a longitudinal axis; the top having first andsecond gun-holding channels, each gun-holding channel disposed parallelto the longitudinal axis and adapted to removably contain a long gun;wherein the first gun-holding channel comprises a forward portionadapted to cradle an action of the long gun and an aft section adaptedto cradle a stock of the long gun, wherein a gap is disposedlongitudinally between the forward section and the aft section, whereinthe gap is adapted to expose a portion of the long gun between theaction and the stock; a first through-channel transverse to thelongitudinal axis and disposed below the first and second gun-holdingchannels, the first through-channel adapted to accept the seat belt tosecure the carrier to the vehicle seat; a second through-channeldisposed transverse to the longitudinal axis and below the first andsecond gun-holding channels and aligned with the gap; a spur passagedisposed between the first and second gun-holding channels and openingto the gap; a magazine recess that is open to the first gun-holdingchannel, extends downwardly, and is laterally closed; the magazinerecess disposed below the first gun-holding channel and closer to afront of the carrier than both the first and second through-channels; astrap assembly comprising a strap and an associated fastener; the strapassembly selectively closable into a loop via the fastener to secure thelong gun within the first gun-holding channel with the strap assemblylooping through the second through-passage, through the spur passage,and across the first gun-holding channel at the gap; placing the longgun carrier on the seat of a vehicle such that the bottom surface restson part of the seat portion of the vehicle seat and the back surfacecontacts part of the back portion of the vehicle seat; placing a seatbelt of the vehicle through the first through-channel and securing thelong gun carrier against the vehicle seat via the seat belt such thatthe bottom is secured against the seat portion of the vehicle seat andthe back is secured against the back portion of the vehicle seat;placing a long gun in the first gun-holding channel of the long guncarrier such that the action of the long gun is cradled by the forwardportion, the stock of the long gun is cradled by the aft section, aportion of the long gun is laterally exposed in the gap, and a magazineof the long gun is received in the magazine recess; and securing thelong gun in the first gun-holding channel via the strap assembly. 16.The method of claim 15, further comprising: removing the long gun fromthe gun-holding channel of the long gun carrier; removing the long guncarrier from the vehicle; orienting the long gun carrier such that aforearm or barrel channel of the long gun carrier is oriented in anaiming direction; and resting a barrel or forearm of the long gun in theforearm or barrel channel to stabilize the long gun while firing it. 17.The method of claim 15, further comprising, after the placing a long gunin the first gun-holding channel, placing a second long gun in thesecond gun-holding channel.
 18. The method of claim 15: wherein the longgun carrier further comprises an accessory holder mounted to a side ofthe carrier; further comprising, after the securing the long gun carrieragainst the vehicle seat via the seat belt, placing an accessory in theaccessory holder.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the accessory is ahandgun.